On the roads
I’ve been driving for a while now. My driving has improved since I started, naturally. I think the general driving standard around is probably pretty much the same as it ever was. So what does the Commons transport committee think?
Well, they think that….
- Learner Drivers should follow a set learning plan that covers a whole year
- We should have a complete alchohol ban for new drivers
- New drivers should be banned from carrying passengers aged between 10 and 20 late at night
So, let’s ponder over that.
A year of learning. I feel somewhat unqualified to comment on this as I spent bloody ages learning, so don’t really see what difference it would have made being forced to do so, but it does beg the question of why? I mean, if someone is of test standard, then they will pass the test, if they are not, then they will fail the test. What will people be learning in the 6th, 7th and 12th month of their plans? Not to be funny about it, but at the end of my lessons, the instructor was hardly ever saying a word, because he didn’t need to. Are people to drive around in silence with their instructors in the car for 6 months in case they happen upon an eventuality that they haven’t seen yet? Do all the existing instructors have to undergo training to learn about these new learning plans? It all just seems a bit ill-thought-out.
Complete alchohol ban for new drivers. Hmm. Can’t really argue with that one. But why is it just new drivers? Why not across the board? What are we saying here? Is the message going to be that some alcohol suddenly becomes okay on day 366, or 367 after a leap year? This is just nonsense. Either ban it for everyone or leave the rules as they are. Personally, I’m all for banning it all over, then people wouldn’t have an excuse of not knowing how close they were to the limit in marginal cases.
No carrying passengers aged between 10 and 20 late at night. This is possibly the most ridiculous of the proposals. Let’s think about the enforcement. Do the traffic police (of which there are few) spend their nights pulling over random vehicles to check the age of the occupants and the maturity of the drivers, or is there some criteria applied? Will this just be based on car-type discrimination, so you could get away with it in a Fiat Uno but you’ll get pulled in a Type R? How is "late at night" defined? How strict are we here? What if someone starts out on a long journey with their mates at 6pm, gets delayed, and is still driving at 11? Should they have to stop? Does the driver become incapable of driving any more once the witching hour appears?
I can see what the intention of this proposal is. I can see how it’s meant to be that it would reduce those groups of lads who just want to hoon about on the deserted streets in the night, but it’s rubbish. It treats everyone else as if they are that lowest common denominator, and says that they can’t drive.
Instead of creating laws that would be largely unenforceable, why not come up with something a bit more even, such as restricting engine capactiy - as we already see in bike riding. In theory at least there would be some level of enforcement possible there because of having to insure and register vehicles (admittedly some people don’t bother but that’s another issue.) You at least wouldn’t be depending on an already thin force of traffic police trying to enforce something impossible to see. (Just like mobile phone usage in cars, we can all see how well that is cracked down on….)
I’m thinking try again with the proposals. Maybe let some clever people think about them.
